


Law and Order: Andromeda

by keita52



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Case Fic, F/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-26 02:25:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13226202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keita52/pseuds/keita52
Summary: Devan Ryder, special agent with the Andromeda Bureau of Investigations, comes to the precinct where Liam Kosta works (with his partner Jaal) looking to solve the mystery of her father’s death and her brother’s kidnapping.





	Law and Order: Andromeda

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StarGazerGamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarGazerGamer/gifts).



> Hi, Seige! Hope you like this!
> 
> This fic owes much to both Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Castle, as well as many of the other crime procedurals I have watched over the years.
> 
> Thanks to my usual cheerleaders, AceQueenKing and Yoru.

“Major Crimes. Detective Kosta?”

Liam looked up from where he had been idly doodling in his notebook and gave Chief Tiran Kandros his best smile, the one that said _I was totally ready for this_. Kandros’ eyes narrowed, his way of saying _I’m onto you._ But, as always, that was the only reprimand Kandros actually offered.

With a nod to his partner Jaal Ama Darav, he stood, clearing his throat and preparing to give another purely routine report. The briefing room was adorned with red and green garlands, and a moderately sized tree was in the corner by the podium where Kandros currently stood. The walls of the room were rarely bare, with the different species represented at the precinct, and all the cultures within those species.

Unlike many of the other detectives in this room, Liam and Jaal only worked a few cases at a time and had a substantial support staff backing them up. The area under this precinct’s responsibility was right at the edge of Initiative territory, thus making it home ground for both disaffected colonists and any number of splinter Roekaar groups. “Nothing much new to report on the Kelly case,” he said, looking down at his notes to make sure he got the details right.

The door to the briefing room slammed open, causing everyone’s heads to turn and look at the source of this disturbance. A tall, wiry woman, her rich russet brown skin a shade or two darker than his own, wearing a crisp dark blue suit, holding her badge open. The seal of the Andromeda Bureau of Investigation was well known to everyone in the precinct, even if they’d never met an ABI agent in person.

Behind her was the rather harried-looking desk clerk, attempting to stammer out an apology to Kandros. “I tried to -- I couldn’t stop her --”

The newcomer ignored the clerk and kept walking, stopping right in front of Kandros. Her black hair was woven into a single, tight braid; her intense hazel eyes took in the measure of their turian Chief in a second. “Sorry for the interruption.” She didn’t really sound like she meant it. “Agent Ryder, ABI.”

 _Ryder._ Now there was a name Liam knew. Alec Ryder was one of the co-leaders of ABI, along with the angaran leader Evfra de Tershaav. It was the first and still leading Initiative-Angaran agency, founded right after the formal treaty between the two bodies was signed. Which meant this had to be Alec’s daughter Devan.

“Agent Ryder. I assume you had a good reason for interrupting my briefing.” Kandros crossed his arms over his chest, his mandibles twitching in evident displeasure.

“A very good one. My father is dead.”

An audible gasp ran through the room, followed by immediate murmurs of discussion. Ryder didn’t appear to notice. “The rat bastards who did it have also kidnapped my brother Tavis.” Her twin, if Liam remembered correctly. “No doubt as an attempt to discourage me from pursuing this case. I have tracked them to your precinct, and I am formally requesting your assistance.”

Kandros held up a hand, and the chatter in the room quieted down. “Kosta. Darav. My office. The rest of you -- this briefing is over.”

Chairs scraped across the floor as everyone made for the door, no doubt excited to share the exciting news with those who hadn’t been in the briefing. Liam gathered his notes and followed Jaal and Kandros out. Ryder was ahead of them, looking vaguely displeased. She fell in besides Kandros as the chief lead them to his office. At a gesture, Liam closed the door behind them and drew the blinds closed.

Kandros sat behind his desk, steepling his fingers together. “I’m sorry to hear about your father, Agent Ryder. He was a good man.”

Ryder nodded her head in acceptance. “Cora -- my partner, Agent Harper -- she was critically injured trying to stop the attack. ABI Headquarters is a shambles, with half the staff in the hospital.”

“Which explains why you’re requesting assistance from me.”

“Not just that, Chief Kandros.” Ryder seemed to relax a little. “I have reason to believe that I’m working the same case as your Major Crimes division.” She turned to look at Liam and Jaal. “You’ve been looking at Sloane Kelly as the ringleader for a major criminal organization, right?”

“Drugs, guns, all the good stuff,” Liam responded in his typical laid-back manner. “How’d you know it was us?”

“Only one angaran detective in all Initiative territory.” Now her focus was all on Jaal. “Evfra keeps a close eye on all his doings.”

Jaal nodded. “He would. How is he doing?”

Ryder sighed, the energy that had propelled her into the briefing room seeming to leak out of her with each word. “They were both so careful to appear the best of partners, but I can’t tell you how many times I heard my father complaining about Evfra’s style, and vice versa. Evfra’s taking it harder than I’d expected.”

“Please give him my regards the next time you speak to him.”

A small smile flickered across Ryder’s face. “I will.” She straightened herself up and turned back to Kandros. “ABI was looking at Kelly for sapient trafficking. My father was spearheading the investigation personally. He knew her, before we all came here, and I think he was offended that she turned to crime so easily.”

Liam punched his fist into his open palm. “I knew there was a trafficking ring in this area, but I never thought to look at Sloane Kelly. How was I so blind?”

“Because most of their victims are from other districts. That’s why it’s an ABI matter. Kelly might be the mastermind, but she’s been careful to outsource most of the work to smaller groups. Including some Roekaar.” Ryder shook her head. “It’s not your fault, Kosta. You didn’t have all the pieces. If things had gone according to plan, we’d have been here in about a week with solid warrants for the lot of them.”

“Instead, they attacked the ABI building, killed your father, and took your brother,” Jaal said. “To stop you from continuing Alec’s work.”

“Were you there?” Something about her earlier words, _my partner tried to stop the attack_ , lead him to what many other detectives called ‘a typical Kosta conclusion’. “You weren’t, were you?”

Ryder got even more tense. “No. I was on administrative leave. We raided an anti-angaran terror cell a few weeks back. One of them went for a gun, so I had to shoot him. The decision of justified came back at about the same time the attack was happening.”

Liam blew out his breath. “I’m sorry.” She was carrying around an _amazing_ amount of emotional baggage right now. He knew he wouldn’t be this composed if all that shit had happened to him.

Ryder just nodded again. “Chief Kandros, I want to borrow Kosta and Darav from you to finish this matter. They know the area, and -- I can’t do this alone.” The admission obviously cost her, but it also ticked her up a notch in Liam’s eyes.

“Well?” Kandros asked, looking at the pair of them. “Will you work with Agent Ryder on this?”

Liam cast a glance over at Jaal, who tilted his head to the side before giving a slight nod. Liam returned the nod as they both turned to look at Kandros. “Yes, Chief.”

“Excellent.” Kandros stood; Jaal and Liam both pulled themselves up a bit straighter on reflex. “You can use the briefing room.” _Since my briefing ended early,_ was what Kandros said with a twitch of his mandibles and a narrowing of his eyes.

 _Not my fault, for once,_ Liam replied with a broad grin and a tilt of his head. Kandros let out a huff and sat back down behind his desk.

Jaal and Liam retraced their earlier steps to the briefing room with Ryder in their wake, heads turning to stare at the three of them. Liam held the door open for Ryder with a slight bow. She arched an eyebrow, then stepped through the door. He closed the door and walked to take a seat next to Jaal.

Ryder pulled a chair to the other side of the table, then pulled out a folder from inside her jacket and placed it on the table. Liam’s eyes went wide. “ _Paper_ files?”

“A bit of paranoia.” Ryder’s hard face dared them to say anything critical.

Liam threw up his hands. “In your situation, I’d say, more than justified.”

The corner of her mouth twisted into a smile. “Well then.” She pulled out two sheets of paper from the folder and slid them across the table, followed a moment later by pens. Liam hadn’t realized there were anywhere to be found out here. “I’ll need you both to sign these confidentiality agreements. It only covers this investigation and the methods we used to get some of this information.”

Jaal picked up the agreement, frowning at it as he read through. Ryder’s brows furrowed in a mirror of Jaal’s expression, but she held her tongue while he worked his way through the legalese. Pens scratching out signatures broke the spell of silence, and Ryder took the pages back, sliding them into the same folder as before.

“This,” Ryder explained, somewhat unnecessarily, “is everything we have on Sloane Kelly. The flagged part at the end is the evidence of her involvement in the trafficking ring. It’s suggestive rather than definitive.”

Liam skimmed the block text. “Sloane’s known associates, favored locations -- but no sign of the woman herself.”

“Not surprising,” Jaal said with a snort of contempt. “She professes innocence at every turn.”

Ryder’s lips quirked into a wry smile. “Let’s see how she fares with a member of the ABI asking questions.”

“You want to go talk to Sloane?” Liam tried to keep his face and voice impassive and knew he’d failed on both counts. “Now?”

“The faster we move, the less time we give her to bury the evidence.”

Liam grinned. “All right then. Let’s move.”

“My partner,” Jaal explained in his usual long-suffering tone, “is typically the one who counsels quick action.”

“We’re going to get along well, then.” Ryder’s half-smile turned into a full-blown grin. “My car’s outside.”

* * *

They were stopped at the door, unsurprisingly. Liam and Jaal had visited Sloane more than once, trying different tactics to get her to incriminate herself. It never worked.

It was the pair of krogan on duty today, identical except for the position of the scars on their faces. “If you don’t have a warrant,” the left-hand one said in an imitation of patience, “then get _lost_.”

Ryder, who had been standing behind them, squeezed through the space between Liam and Jaal. “Tell Sloane Kelly that Agent Devan Ryder, ABI, is here to see her.”

“I _said_ \--”

“She’ll want to see me.” Ryder interrupted the angry krogan like it was something she did all the time. “Just give her my name. If she tells me to get lost, then I will. But you don’t want to be the one that kept me away when she _did_ want to see me.”

The krogan gave an angry huff, traded a glance with his partner, then went inside. The remaining krogan moved to stand directly in front of the door, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Ryder met his gaze with an iron confidence that Liam had rarely seen in _anyone_.

It was not very long at all before the krogan returned, grunting and tilting his head inside in lieu of anything resembling actual words. Ryder’s smile broadened as she stepped forward, Liam and Jaal close behind. “Thank you kindly.”

As though she had been there hundreds of times before, Ryder lead the way down the halls to Sloane’s office. The door was slightly ajar, and she pushed it open without any sign of hesitation.

Sloane Kelly sat behind her desk, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed and a frown on her face. Upon seeing Ryder, she straightened herself up, and for the first time Liam saw her perpetual anger slide away. “Devan,” she said. “Is it true?”

Color drained from Ryder’s face. She nodded, tight-lipped.

“Shit.” Sloane spat the word out, standing and beginning to pace back and forth in front of her window. “I’m so sorry, Devan.”

“Did you do this?” Ryder’s hands were clenched into fists. “He was investigating you, Sloane. Did you have him killed to stop that?”

“Fuck no.” Sloane turned around, slamming her hands down onto her desk. “We quarreled, yes; he was angry with me and I thought he was making my life hard out of sheer pettiness. But I didn’t kill him. I’d never do something like that.” She raised her head to meet Ryder’s intense gaze. “I’m not going to pretend I’d never have someone killed. We all know that’d be a lie. But not Alec.”

“It all points to you, Sloane.” He’d only known her a short time, but Liam still knew that Ryder was hanging onto control with her fingertips alone. “The trafficking. The people who stormed headquarters, killing and destroying evidence as they went.”

Sloane snorted. “A little too convenient, don’t you think? Every bit of evidence you have points to me and some assholes come in and add more?” She straightened up again. “You’re wasting your time chasing me. You should be looking at Reyes Vidal.”

“Your rival.” Liam spoke for the first time.

Sloane’s gaze turned on him, eyes narrowing. “Yes, my rival. Smooth bastard. He acts like courtly manners and an interesting accent can make up for the fact that he’s a ruthless criminal like me. Reyes’ organization has done as much as mine does, and yet, _I_ get the brunt of the hate from you. All of you.” She took in Jaal, Liam, and Ryder with a toss of her head. “He wants me out of business.”

“And I suppose,” Ryder said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “that you have no such desires for him.”

Sloane gave a harsh laugh. “That’d be a lie, and we all know it. Yes, I want him out of business. Yes, we steal each others clients and sabotage each others operations. But I couldn’t drive him out without heavy losses, and he’s in the same boat. It’d take outside interference to change the balance of power.” Her eyes flicked to Ryder. “Such as the ABI arresting a chunk of either organization.”

“That motive applies equally to both of you, as you just said.”

“I don’t hide what I am, Devan. I’m a rough bitch who’s not afraid to run roughshod over those who stand in my way. But you know Alec and I used to be friends. And I’m not _that_ much of a bitch, to want him dead, his family hurt. All of this is more Reyes’ style.”

Ryder folded her arms across her chest. The two women stared at each other for a long moment, before Ryder nodded. “I’m not saying I believe you. But I think you’ve convinced me to pay Reyes Vidal a visit, too.”

“I’m _so_ glad to hear that. Give him my best, won’t you?” Sloane clearly meant it as a dismissal, even turning her back on Ryder. Liam looked over at Jaal, then Ryder. Her shoulders moved in something that might have been a shrug, before she also turned around and walked out into the hallway.

“D’you believe her?” Liam asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

Ryder shook her head. “Not here,” she said quietly. Liam nodded his understanding.

They were stopped, about halfway back to the entrance, by a pale-skinned woman with the same hairstyle as Sloane. “Whatever you think she did, she didn’t do it,” she said, her eyes shining intently.

“That’s a fairly comprehensive statement, Miss…” Jaal, ever the polite one, left her space to offer up her name.

“Verner. Cassandra Verner.” She seemed to notice Liam and Jaal for the first time. “You always come here,” she accused, “with threats and no actual evidence. Sloane’s not a criminal.”

“She’d disagree,” Liam muttered under his breath, and was rewarded with a soft smile from Ryder.

“So what is it this time?” Cassandra challenged them. “Drugs? Theft?”

“Murder and sapient trafficking.” Ryder held open her badge for the other woman to see.

Cassandra gasped, her hands actually flying to her mouth. “She’d _never!_ ” She shook her head. “I bet it was that bastard Reyes Vidal. He’s always trying to bring Sloane down. He can’t handle how much better she is than him.”

This Cassandra was either the best actress Liam had seen in a long time, or she genuinely worshipped Sloane that much. It wasn’t immediately clear which. He decided to keep his mouth shut and let Ryder handle it.

Ryder’s face remained impassive. “As it happens, we’re on our way to interview Mr. Vidal right now.”

Smug satisfaction crossed Cassandra’s face, and she straightened herself up that much taller. “Good. You’ll see that _he’s_ the real criminal here and that Sloane is completely innocent.”

“We’ll go where the evidence leads us, Miss Verner,” Ryder said politely. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…”

“Oh! Of course.” Cassandra got out of their way, her eyes not leaving them until they turned a corner.

“What’d you think that was all about?” Liam asked when they were finally outside.

“She’s a sycophant.” Ryder shook her head as though she were disappointed with Cassandra Verner. “Believes that Sloane is the greatest and couldn’t _possibly_ have done anything bad.”

Liam grinned. “Yeah, but I actually meant everything with Sloane. Think it was actually Reyes, or is she just trying to throw us off?”

Ryder sighed. “Could be either case. We’ve never been able to tie any high-level people in Sloane’s organization to the trafficking incidents. Always disposable middle meat. It honestly wouldn’t surprise me if each of them have cracked the other’s communications systems and occasionally send their rivals on wild goose chases.”

“So what is our next move? Go talk to Reyes?” Jaal asked.

Ryder nodded slowly. “I don’t see a better one, do you?”

Liam and Jaal exchanged a glance. “No,” Jaal admitted reluctantly, Liam nodding his head in agreement.

* * *

Sloane Kelly conducted business out of her nightclub. Reyes Vidal conducted it out of an office on the docks.

Charlatan Shipping and Receiving was, to be fair, a legitimate company with legitimate business. It just also had the little extra on the side. Never enough to prove in a court of law, of course. Sloane and Reyes had that in common.

As before, Ryder went straight up to the door and flashed a deceptively casual smile. Reyes had gone all out for the holiday: a large wreath on the door, intertwined garlands all around the edge of the building, colorful blinking lights just below the garlands. The two turians who stood on either side of the door seemed extremely unimpressed by all this finery.

“Agent Devan Ryder, ABI. Here to see Mr. Vidal.”

“Do you have an appointment?” The left-hand turian looked extremely bored as he asked the question.

Ryder’s smile broadened. “Just tell him Agent Ryder is here.”

The one she’d been speaking to sighed, lifting his omni-tool. “Sir, Agent Ryder, ABI to see you.” He paused. “Also Detectives Kosta and Darav.” Another pause, then a long sigh. “Go right in.”

“Thank you ever so kindly.” Liam had never seen anyone able to convey contempt with a smile the way Devan Ryder could. _Careful, Kosta,_ he told himself as he and Jaal followed her in. _She’s way too good for the likes of you._

The lobby of Charlatan Shipping and Receiving was even more lavishly decorated than outside. A large tree sat next to the receptionist’s desk, branches covered in ornaments and white-and-gold garlands. Wrapped packages spilled out to take up what seemed like half the floor space. The asari receptionist herself wore reindeer antlers as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” filtered through the overhead speakers.

The hallway down to Reyes’ office was coated in white snowflakes of various shapes and sizes, with icicles hanging from the ceiling. Liam could see Reyes ahead through his slightly ajar office door, standing with his back to them, presumably admiring the ocean view. He wore an oversized Santa hat, the white tassel resting on the shoulder of his red velvet coat.“Ah, Agent Ryder,” he said as they entered, gesturing for their turian escort to close the door behind them. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

Liam studied Reyes. Sloane had opened with a question about Alec Ryder’s death, but then, as Ryder had told them, Sloane and Alec had been friends once. But the important part was that Sloane had known. Reyes had to know as well. Either he didn’t think their visit was related to Alec Ryder (unlikely) or he was trying to force Ryder into disclosing their purpose (much more likely).

Ryder appeared to have made the same calculation. Her face was expressionless, her hands folded neatly in front of her. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard,” she said with false concern. “My father, Alec Ryder, is dead, along with several other members of ABI.”

“No! What a tragedy.” Reyes turned to face them. “My condolences to you and your brother, Agent Ryder.”

“My brother,” Ryder said, her tone one of pure ice, “was kidnapped in the same assault that killed my father and all the others. I don’t suppose you have any idea where he might be?”

“You think I had something to do with this?” Reyes’ profession of innocent outrage rang as false as Ryder’s concern had a few moments ago. “I am an honest businessman, Agent Ryder. My employees would never be involved in such an event.”

“Of course you are.” Ryder studied him carefully. “I don’t suppose you would have any idea where my brother is being held.”

Reyes heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Regrettably, no.”

“Not in one of the many shipping containers we passed on the way in here?” Liam asked.

“No, Detective Kosta.” Reyes turned to look at him. “I hope you and your partner here have not poisoned the lovely Agent Ryder again-”

Ryder cut him off with a humorless laugh. “I make my own decisions, Mr. Vidal. I came here because you are known to be a ruthless criminal with a large organization. The type of organization that might turn to sapient trafficking. The type of organization with the people and the resources to stage an assault on ABI headquarters. Deny it as loudly as you want -- we both know the truth.”

“If,” Reyes drew out the word, “ _if_ that were true, you could hardly expect me to admit it in front of three officers of the law. And you wouldn’t believe me saying that I had nothing to do with this and that it was far more likely to have been my rival. Assuming that I had one.”

“That,” Jaal said, his voice a deep rumble, “is exactly what Sloane Kelly said.”

“Ah, Sloane.” Reyes dismissed her with a wave of his hand. “Paranoid controlling bitch.”

Liam snorted. “Go on, tell us what you _really_ think about her.”

"And your opinion is vastly different from mine?" Reyes shook his head and _tsk_ ed at the three of them. "It has been entertaining, speaking to you. But now I'm afraid I must ask you to leave. I have other matters that require my attention, and I really cannot give you any new information on your brother. I wish you the best of luck with finding him." He waved a negligent hand and turned his back on them.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Vidal," Ryder said. Liam frowned, but his instincts told him that Ryder was making the right call here. Much like Sloane, Reyes Vidal was too smart to give up anything that he didn't have to. And they really didn't have anything to pressure him into talking.

So the three of them walked back out the door, through the snow-lined hallway and past the Christmas tree. They headed back towards where Ryder had parked, on the other side of the shipping containers. Liam opened his mouth, about to ask what the next step was, when something caught his eye. A brief movement.

"Get down!" Liam followed his own advice, hitting the pavement with his arms outstretched as the bullet flew over his head. He went for the gun at his waist, pulling it free and chambering a round. "I'll cover you. Get to the shipping containers." He propped himself up onto his elbows and tried to find the source of the gunfire. That way. Right. He fired a few shots, not looking to see whether Jaal and Ryder had moved.

"Liam!" His head turned at the sound of his name. Jaal stood at the corner of the nearest shipping container, gun held aloft. He fired at the same place as Liam had, moments before. Liam scrambled to his feet and dashed across the pavement, skidding to a halt against the side of the shipping container.

"Anyone know how many?" Liam reloaded his pistol, head darting around to take stock of their surroundings.

"Two shooting where we were. Likely more elsewhere." Jaal craned his neck around the side, then hastily pulled back as another bullet flew past.

Liam hit two buttons on his omni-tool at the same time. "Central, this is Jupiter 12, with Agent Ryder. We're outside Charlatan Shipping and Receiving. Multiple shooters. Send backup."

"Copy, Jupiter 12. Backup is on its way."

"Five minutes at least," Jaal growled. "We're sitting ducks."

"Cover me. I'll give us some breathing room." Liam stepped aside to let Ryder take the corner spot. It took him a minute to place her weapon. A Scorpion. That would help. He hoped.

Liam dropped as far down as he could go, training his pistol on the one place they knew the shooters were. Jaal stood tall, with Ryder in the center. She took her time lining up a shot, motioning for them to drop back as soon as she'd fired. Three seconds later, a small explosion mixed with pained yells.

"Might not have killed them, but they won't be shooting at us again soon," Ryder said. "Either of you see a better place for us to hold out?"

"Negative. Got a better view on the other shooters?" Liam edged to the other side of the container, listening for gunshots.

"Probably in the same building as the other." Ryder followed him over.

"Same as before, then," Jaal said, reloading.

Ryder nodded. "On three. One, two —"

They all exposed themselves in the same moment, Jaal and Liam shooting mostly blind while Ryder took the time to find the best shot. Then they were back around the corner, and three seconds later there was another small explosion.

"Dunno if we got anyone with that," Liam said.

Ryder reloaded the Scorpion. "We might need to risk being cornered. As it stands now, we are too easily flanked."

"Agent Ryder, I might be able to put those on a longer delay timer." Jaal lifted his glowing omni-tool.

"How long, Darav?"

"Thirty seconds, maybe?" Jaal hazarded.

"We do that and I'll run out of ammo fast," Ryder said skeptically.

"Incoming!" Liam called, seeing a canister fly over their shipping container. "Looks like tear gas."

"Shit. Move!" Ryder darted further into the maze of containers. Liam followed, with Jaal hot on his heels. They sprinted past a few more containers before Liam noticed that Jaal had fallen behind. He halted at the edge of a container. Ryder grabbed his arm. "Liam—"

"He's my partner," Liam said through gritted teeth. He couldn't see where Jaal was anymore. The smoke shouldn't be that thick, right? He started to go back, but Ryder kept a firm grip on his arm. "Let me go, damn you!"

"Liam," Ryder said. "I see him."

"Where—" And then he saw it too. An unconscious Jaal being dragged away by two black-clad assailants. "Assholes!"

"He's alive. They're probably taking him wherever they took my brother. Liam, we have to get out before they get us too."

Liam raised his gun, intending to shoot at the people carrying Jaal, but then their compatriots spotted him and Ryder and he was forced to duck behind yet another shipping container. "Arse buggering fuckers!"

Ryder raised her pistol and shot at a spot on the ground a fair distance behind them. "Thought you were going to run out of ammo that way," Liam commented.

"Not seeing a lot of choice right now." Ryder watched the mini grenade explode. "They're putting the pressure on us. We have to keep ahead of them before they throw another gas canister."

"Can't really argue with that." He could still see Jaal being dragged away. He was still furious, but he was more accepting of what Ryder had done. _As soon as we get free of this, I'm going back for him._

The sound of footsteps had them halting at the edge of a shipping container. Ryder fired around the corner without really looking, then did it again. Shrieks of pain accompanied the explosions that came a few seconds later. Liam kept an eye out on the other side, gun drawn and ready to fire on anyone who approached.

"Need to keep moving," Ryder hissed. Liam nodded, keeping his attention on the area behind them. "On my mark." She waited a few breaths, then: "Go!"

Liam darted across the gap, gun still raised. Ryder slid down to the other end of the shipping container. "We're at the water," she said quietly. "Need to head backwards."

"I'll run ahead, you shoot the Scorpion behind us?"

"Sounds like a plan. Ready?"

"Ready," Liam confirmed.

"Go!"

Liam sprinted as fast as he could while still keeping his gun trained and ready to fire. He heard the now-familiar sounds of the Scorpion's grenades exploding, but resisted the urge to look back, keeping all of his attention on the terrain in front of him.

A large form suddenly appeared from around the corner of the nearest container. Liam pulled his finger away just in time to avoid shooting Tiran Kandros himself. The Chief gestured Liam and Ryder forward and around the container, then motioned a dozen officers forward. "Where's Darav?" Kandros barked.

"Taken," Liam said. Kandros swore loudly. Liam reflected that he had never actually heard Kandros swear, or speak in anything other than an even tone.

"Liam." He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Ryder there. "We'll get him back."

"How?" Now that the burst of adrenaline was fading, Liam's anger and frustration was returning. "We don't know who's behind this."

"We're reasonably certain it's either Reyes or Sloane," Ryder countered.

"Yeah, and if we pick the wrong one to go after, that gives the other more time to cover their tracks."

"We're not picking at random, Kosta," Kandros said, apparently having regained his composure. "We're going off of the evidence."

"But we don't have enough to nail either of them!" Liam turned and slammed his open palm into the side of the container, ignoring the pain lancing up his arm. "We only have a 50-50 shot of being right."

"So we wait until we know for sure," Ryder said. Her warm hand was still resting on his arm.

"Jaal could be dead by then!"

"They won't kill him. They took him alive. If they wanted him dead…"

"They wanted him to use as leverage against me. Us." Liam slammed his hand against the container again. "They'll kill him as soon as we fail to give them what they want. I _know_ we can't," he said, looking at Kandros. "I know we don't negotiate. But… it's _Jaal._ " Another slam of his hand. It was starting to go numb.

"Liam." Ryder tugged at his arm, pulling him away from the container. She was strong and he wasn't expecting it, so he wound up a hair's breadth from her face. Suddenly his heart was beating fast for an entirely different reason. He was just wondering if he dared lean forward when she did it for him, fastening her lips to his.

He lost track of how long he stood in front of what was probably half the precinct, eyes closed, kissing the most attractive woman he'd ever met. It was long enough for Kandros to become annoyed and clear his throat.

Liam took a step back, his cheeks flaming bright red. "I compliment you on shutting him up, Agent Ryder," Kandros said. "I thought I had tried every tactic. I suppose I missed one."

"Sir —" Liam began.

"Save it, Kosta. Your personal life is your own." Was that actually a twinkle of _amusement_ in the Chief's face? Liam's face turned even redder.

"Chief Kandros?" One of the newer salarian officers ran up. "Got a ransom call coming in."

"Play it," Kandros ordered. The salarian tapped at his omni-tool. The voice that came out was clearly scrambled by some kind of software.

"We hold Jaal Ama Darav and Tavis Ryder in our custody. If you do not end the investigation, we will end them."

"That's it?" Kandros asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, that's simple enough." Kandros looked over at Ryder and Liam. "I assume ABI has a similar hostage policy."

Ryder nodded. Somehow, her hand was still resting on Liam's arm. "We do. But I have another idea as to how to find and rescue our lost ones."

* * *

The hood over Liam's head was yanked away violently as Ryder's boot connected with his back. Liam fell to his knees, not having to work too hard to project fear and defiance.

"What happened to his face?" The speaker was an older human male. He leaned forward, touching the fresh bruises.

"He wouldn't come quietly." Ryder's voice was deeper than usual, her chuckle mirthless. "This one's got some fight in him."

Liam turned his head to glare at Ryder. Her long black hair had been cut short and dyed a deep purple-blue just a few hours ago. The makeup across her face disguised the obvious resemblance between herself and her brother Tavis, as Liam's fresh bruises disguised his. "I was just minding me own business!" He made his British accent much more exaggerated than usual. "I ain't done nothing wrong."

"Nothing except be alone in the wrong part of town at the wrong time." Ryder's mouth twitched into an evil smile. She was enjoying this, a little. Liam couldn't quite bring himself to be upset at that. "So. Is this enough to get me a meeting with the boss?"

"It certainly doesn't get you kicked out of here." The man leaned back in his seat and nodded to the asari next to him. "Put this one in with the other merchandise."

Ryder took a step back. Liam put up a token fight as the asari and another human grabbed his arms and hauled him up. He kicked and squirmed without effectively using his weight to do any damage, the way a civilian would have, and swore the whole way to the cell they threw him in. He kept swearing until they were out of sight, then shook his head. "Bloody amateurs."

They hadn't searched him at all. It seemed incredibly sloppy, but here he was, with his lockpicks easily accessible. At least the cell was protected by a physical lock instead of an electronic one. Ryder had called it a gamble, but Liam had not seen it that way. These people had kept off the radar, which suggested low-tech rather than high-tech.

Liam got to work, skills he had used years before coming back in bits and pieces. He almost broke the lock a few times but, swearing continually under his breath, managed to get it open.

He pushed the door open gingerly, wincing in anticipation of a _creak_ that never came. He let out a breath and walked over to the next cell, cracking his knuckles before getting to work on it. A few more minutes of sweat and that door, too, was open. Liam ducked inside.

The man who sat with his legs curled to his chest had the same black hair and russet brown skin as his sister, his nose wider and flatter, his eyes set further apart. He looked up in confusion.

"Hi. Devan sent me to get you out." Liam jerked his head backwards. "She's keeping them busy with her hired muscle act. One hell of an act, let me tell you."

"That sounds like Devan," Tavis Ryder said, standing. He winced as he straightened out his sore muscles. "I'm very pleased to meet you…"

"Detective Liam Kosta. M'partner's in here too. Gotta find him. And I don't suppose that you have any idea who's actually behind all of this?"

"I don't know, but I do know where you might find that answer." Tavis ducked out the door and motioned for Liam to follow him. "They're a confusing bunch. Sometimes they're professional as hell, and other times they make dumb amateur moves. Like not searching you, I presume."

"Got it in one."

Tavis nodded. "So I know where all the records are kept."

"All right. Show me where it is — I'll unlock it and you can grab whatever you can carry. Whatever looks important," Liam corrected himself. "Hopefully we can get enough evidence to put away this lot once and for all."

"Right. Over here." Tavis lead them down another hall, and once again Liam had to just shake his head at how sloppy everything was. No cameras. No guards. They just trusted that a locked door would keep the 'merchandise' in one place. It didn't fit with the professionalism of the attack on ABI headquarters.

Tavis pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. Liam got to work, his movements more fluid with practice. "D'you know if any other cells are occupied?" he asked.

"They're soundproofed." Tavis grimaced, clutching his stomach in what looked like a reflex. "Can't help, sorry."

"You do your job and I'll do mine," Liam reassured him, giving the other man a soft pat on the shoulder. He moved quickly back into the hallway of cells and decided to start with the door next to Tavis'. A scared-looking asari was inside. Liam gave her his friendliest smile. "I'm a detective. I'm here to get you out. Can you stay put for just a few minutes and then we'll make a run for it?'

"Okay," the asari said, sounding _very_ young. Liam controlled his grimace and moved onto the next cell, freeing two turians, three humans, and a salarian before he finally found a still-unconscious Jaal.

Liam knelt besides his partner. "Jaal. Jaal, wake up. It's Liam." He shook Jaal's shoulder.

"… Liam?" Jaal's eyes opened, his gaze focusing as fast as Liam could have asked for. "I am very, very glad to see you."

"Likewise. We've got a group of others that need to get out of here. And Tavis is getting the evidence we need."

"Tavis?"

"Devan's brother."

"Devan, is it?" Jaal sounded amused. Liam couldn't help the flush that came across his face at that. "Ah! I see I have missed quite a bit, then."

"Agh, let's just get out of here," Liam grumbled, poking his head out the door and making sure that the way was clear. He caught sight of Tavis, at the other end, his tattered sweatshirt stuffed with papers. Tavis pointed down the hall, mouthing the word "Door". Liam nodded, collecting all of the other newly-liberated people and herding them over towards Tavis.

Once they were at the door, Tavis stepped aside and let Liam through. Just as he brought his lockpicks out, the door handle started turning. Liam swore silently and put the lockpicks away. One swift punch to the face, that'd do it. As long as there was only the one.

The door swung open, and Liam lashed out with his fist. For a minute, he thought that it was _Devan_ he'd punched — but no, it was another human woman that bore only a passing resemblance to Tavis' sister. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she crumpled to the floor.

Without being asked, the asari grabbed the woman's feet and pulled her inside, into the nearest empty cell, then rejoined the party. Jaal went out, scanning the area, then motioned for the others to follow him across the open courtyard. Liam hadn't been blindfolded for the trip to his cell, and so he was able to retrace his steps quickly.

"All right," he said as they gathered by the door that would take them back into the main warehouse. "You lot — stay here. I'm going to meet up with D— Agent Ryder and we're going to make some arrests. We'll tell you when it's safe to leave."

"I'm not staying behind," the asari said defiantly. "There's a lot of them in there. You might need help."

The rest of the group nodded. Liam groaned, traded a glance with Jaal, then shrugged and gave in. "All right. But … _try_ not to get yourselves hurt?"

"No promises." Tavis' wicked grin was twin to one that Devan had worn when she dragged Liam inside. Liam reflected that this must be how Kandros felt when trying to reason with him, and then kicked the door in.

All of the people Liam had seen earlier were lying on the floor, groaning and holding various injured body parts. Devan stood over the seeming ringleader, her foot planted solidly in his back, holding his arm up at a very painful angle. "Who," she asked calmly, "do you work for?"

"Uh, Devan?" Tavis stepped forward. "I can answer that."

"Aww, I wanted to kick him in the groin," the asari said.

Devan dropped the arm and used her foot to roll him over. "I think," she said slowly, "that I'm going to go outside with my brother and Detectives Kosta and Ryder. As long as no one dies, I'm not going to ask any questions about what happens after we close the door."

She walked over and put an arm around her brother's waist, gently steering him out the door over his protests of "I can _walk,_ Devan." Liam winked at the talkative asari and followed Devan out. He was starting to feel like he'd follow Devan Ryder anywhere.

* * *

Sloane Kelly and Reyes Vidal sat on opposite ends of the table in the interrogation rule, handcuffed, each refusing to look at the other. Liam stood next to Kandros on the other side of the one-way glass, with Jaal nearby. The documents that Tavis had brought out of the warehouse were neatly tucked into the folder Kandros was holding.

"I think we've let them stew long enough," Kandros said, heading for the door. The three of them filed in and took seats across from Sloane and Reyes. Kandros opened the folder and spread out the documents.

"We took these," Kandros said, looking back and forth between the two criminal bosses, "from the safe house where we found Tavis Ryder, Jaal Ama Darav, and a handful of other illegally detained persons. It was more than enough evidence to point us to the mastermind behind this scheme."

Sloane and Reyes started issuing denials at the same time, tripping over each others' words. They both cut off when the door opened again. Devan frog-marched a red-faced Cassandra Verner inside.

"What's she doing here?" Sloane asked. "Did she rat on me?"

"I would _never!_ " Cassandra burst out. "I didn't give them anything on you, Sloane. It was all me."

" _What?_ " Sloane and Reyes spoke the word in the same moment, then glared at each other.

"It was her," Devan confirmed. "She used your resources, Sloane, and did her best to frame your people, Reyes."

"He was in the way of you being the best," Cassandra said, straining forward. Devan kept a tight grip on her. "He needed to go away so you could be the best. So everyone could see how great you are."

Sloane looked from Cassandra, to Devan, to Kandros, and then back to Cassandra. "You're fucking serious. _She_ did this?"

"I did it for you, Sloane!" Cassandra shrieked as Devan started to drag her back outside. "I'm your greatest fan! I did it for you!"

Liam stood, walking over and taking one of Cassandra's arms to help Devan keep the shrieking woman under control. Devan smiled over at him, a smile that warmed him to the core. As he left, Liam heard Kandros going over the evidence they found, all the things that Cassandra Verner had done under Sloane Kelly's nose.

Devan took her back to her cell, a room not unlike the one that Jaal, Tavis and the others had been kept in at the warehouse. She locked the door with her omni-tool, and then again with a small key. "That's done with," she said with a sigh. "We've got an iron-clad case on her and her goons."

"An amateur stealing resources from a professional," Liam said. "Explains why it seemed so tight and so sloppy at the same time."

"It's definitely a new one." Devan and Liam walked back out to the precinct's foyer, still festively decorated in reds and greens.

Liam cleared his throat. "So, uh. I guess you're heading back now."

"Yeah." Devan's face was unreadable. "But that doesn't mean that we never have to see each other again."

"Well… yeah. I mean, we both work in law enforcement. Out here. So, you know, you might come—"

Devan grabbed Liam's shirt with both hands and pulled him forward. Liam blinked, confused, and then realized where they were standing. Under the mistletoe. "Oh."

"Oh," Devan repeated, her tone gently mocking, and then she leaned in to kiss him. It lasted longer, this time; and Liam didn't even care that more than Kandros could see them. Devan Ryder was kissing him. Devan Ryder wanted to see more of him. It felt like the best Christmas present he'd ever been given.


End file.
